Vickery targets an October comeback

Phil Vickery, the England prop who was this week named in the elite national squad despite being out of action since January after a third operation on his back, is hoping to make his Wasps debut at the beginning of October.

Vickery, 30, left Gloucester, the club where he had spent his entire senior career, for Wasps at the end of last season amid reports that he had been warned by medical experts that he was unlikely to play again, speculation vehemently denied by the player.

"Phil has been doing very well in his rehab and we are pleased at the progress he has made, but he is still a couple of months away from playing," said Wasps' team manager Nolan Miller. "If everything goes according to plan he should be back in action around the start of October."

Vickery's World Cup-winning colleague Richard Hill, who did not play for Saracens last season after leaving the Lions tour to New Zealand because he had aggravated a knee injury, will also miss the start of the campaign having had keyhole surgery at the start of the summer. His club have refused to set a date for the flanker's return.

Bath yesterday promoted their backs coach Steve Meehan, who joined the club last month from Stade Français, to acting head coach. "He has only been with us for a short while but he has demonstrated he has the leadership skills necessary for this role and it is a great opportunity for him to secure the position full-time," said the club's chief executive Bob Calleja.

The South Africa coach Jake White's position is again under threat after he asked the South African Rugby Union to clarify an edict requiring him to select five black players in every Springbok side. White has chosen three for Saturday's Tri-Nations match against Australia in Sydney in a team showing two changes from the one beaten in New Zealand last month.